Bus-bar clamp



F. E. GETTS, DECD.

E. 1'. GETTS, ADMINISTRATRIX.

BUS BAR CLAMP.

APPLICATION men 0201?, 1919.

1,380,550, Patented June 7,1921.

:E a J 6291b dcbnr cago, in the county of UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

FRANK E. GET'I'S, DECEASED, LATE OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, BY EVA 3'. GETTS, ADMIN- ISTRATBIX, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS EQUIP- KENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BUS-BAR CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 7, 1921.

Original application filed September 21, 1918, Serial No. 255,184. Divided and this application filed.

December 17, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that FRANK E. Gm'rs, late a citizen of the United States residing at Chl- Cook and State of Illinois, deceased, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bus-Bar Clamps, of which the following is a full,

clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawin 51, forming part of this specificatlon.

he invention relates to bus-bar clamps, and particularly to that type of clamps which are designed to be mounted on an msulator, and which are adapted to securely hold an electrical bus-bar conductor commonly of rectangular cross section, being relatively wide and thin.

It is a special object of the invention to provide an upright bus-bar clamp whlch is so designed that it may hold from one to any number of bars without change of parts.

A further object also, is to provlde such a clamp as may be securely mounted on an insulator, and which will clamp the bar or bars in a central position relatlve to the axis of the insulator. p

Other objects of the invention and invention itself will be better understood from the description thereof which follows, and in which description, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in whlchthere is illustrated one particular embodlment of the invention, and in which draw1ngs:

Figure '1, is a side elevational view of the im roved bus-bar clamp;

ig. 2 is an end elevational view of the clamp illustrated in Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a plan VIEW, of the bus-bar clamp base member when the clamping pieces illustrated in the other figures are removed.

Referring to the figures at 64, there is shown a bus-bar such as is commonly used 1n "electric power stations. The bus bars 64 are therefore made relatively thin, so as to offer to the air an extensive heat radiating surface so that the bus-bars will not overheat. Although in the figures only one bus-bar 64 is shown, it is to be understood that a plu- Serial No. 345,871.

rality of bus-bars 64, are used when the capacity of one bar is exceeded. A pair of clamping members 5757 are provided, and are of triangular shape as herein shown,

or of any other particular shape desired and are ribbed as shown at 58, to strengthen the same. flat base 52 has cast thereon an upstanding rib 53, which extends diagonally across the center of bars (53) and afblocks 54-54 and in which blocks they are ginned as shown at 55, to prevent shifting.

eparate bolts or studs may be fastened into the blocks 54, from each side.

Lugs 59-59 on the clamping members 57-57 have bolt holes through which bolt holes the bolts 60 are adapted to pass. The bolt 61 is passed loosely through similar bolt holes in the apices of the clamping members 5757 and clamping nuts 6263 and these several bolts serve to draw the clamping members 5757 into firm engagement with the bus-bar 64.

Although as has been said only one busbar 64, is illustrated in the drawings, the clamp of the invention is so made that a considerable number of bus-bars 64, may be accommodatedin the clamp if so desired, and the bolts 60-61 are therefore made sufli ciently long to permit a wide separation of the clamping members 57 for the accommodation of the desired number of bus-bars. These bolts 60-61 may be provided in various lengths for clamping different sizes or numbers of bus-bars and -'other clamping members 5757 may be substituted which are of greater or less height, when it is desired to accommodate bus-bars of corresponding widths.

It will be noted that the two clamping members 57 are identical. These members are oflfset toward each other by substantially half of the thickness of the bolting blocks 54, so that they will hold the bar 64 centrally of the blocks 54. These clamps 57 are also arched over the central rib or web 53 to clear the same.

Although the clamp of the invention may 4 be clamped on top of an insulator as illustrated in the above mentioned patent application. The rib 53 which extends across the center of the base 52 (Fig. 3) affords a supporting surface upon which a large number of bars 64, can be rested, the bars also thereby being incidentally kept in alinement. The formation of the rib permits the cap screws 56 to be fastened centrally of the supporting base at the same time 1t is continuous transversely so far as its supportin function is concerned.

v y making both of the clamping mem here 57, movable with respect to the base 52, a large number of bars 64, can be accommodated therebetween, and the bars 64: can be always disposed centrally, relative to the supporting base to which the cap screws 56 are secured, when the clamp is thereby secured to the said base. This is particularly important when the bus-bars are carried on an insulator, since by the central distribution of the bus-bar weight, the carrying insulator will not be unequally stressed, but the weight will be disposed centrally over the axis of the supporting base insulator.

It is not intended that the invention shallbe limited to the particular details herein shown and described, except as defined in the appending claims.

What is claimed is 1. In combination, a bus-bar clamp, comprising a base portion said base portion having an upstanding ridge, and integrally formed with bolt carrying lugs disposed on either side of the said ridge, the upper surface of the said ridge belng in a parallel plane with the plane of the bolts carried by a rssoaseo each of the said bolts to force the said clamping members together to securely clamp an interposed bus-bar.

3. In combination, a bus-bar clamp comprising a base-portion, bolting lugs extending from two opposite sides of said base portion, parallel bolts carried by the said lugs, an upstanding ridge for the said base portion having an upper supporting surface parallel to the plane of the said bolts and adapted to support the weight of rectangular shaped bus-bars, a pair of opposing clamping members adapted to be carried on opposite sides of the said base portion on the said bolts, and clamping nuts carried by each of the said bolts to force the said clamping members together to securely clamp, an interposed bus-bar, another bolt passing through alined perforations in the said clamping members, on the other side of the said bus-bar, and a clamping nut for the said bolt.

4. In combination, a bus-bar clamp, comprising a base portion, bolting lugs extending from said base portion, a pair of threaded studs passing through said lugs, said studs being pinned centrally in said lugs, a pair of opposing triangular shaped clampin members" guided on said studs, said palr of studs being adapted to pass through perforations in the said triangular shaped clamping members at two corners thereof, and a stud passing through alined perforations in the third corner of each of the said clamping members, said clamping members both being movable with respect to said base portion clamping nuts for each end of the said studs,'adapted to force the said clamp members together to clamp an interposed bus-bar, the lower corners of the clamping members being set back to permit the clamping members to overhang the lugs.

5. In combination, a base, a pair of side plates, a central transverse rib on the base. and bolts securing said plates to the base below said rib, said plates being arched over said rib to clear the same.

6. In combination, a base, a pair of side plates having two lower corners, a trans verse rib on the central part of said base, said rib running diagonally across the center of the base, bolts securing said lower corners of the plates to the base .below the level of said rib, said plates being cut away to clear said rib.

7. In combination, a base member having a transverse supporting rib, bolts secured to 5 the base member below the top of the rib and on each side thereof, and a side plate adapted to lie on one side of the bars to be the rib and being held by said bolt.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 10 my name this 4th day of December, A. D.

EVA J. GEfITS, Administm-triw for Frank E. Getts, deceased. 

